Lapping the Wind: Two New Knights
by Bruteaous
Summary: Takes place after the Sailor Stars arcs. The senshi are in danger again, but this enemy is too strong for them to face on their own, can figures from their future guide them to a new beginning?
1. Unexpected Phenomenon

**III. Lapping the Wind: Two New Knights**

_Summary: _ Takes place after the Sailor Stars arc. The senshi are in danger again, but this enemy is too strong for them to face on their own, can figures from their future guide them to a new beginning?

**Stories in the _Future Series(in chronological order)_:**

1. The End of Peace

2. Sapphire Rose

3. Lapping the Wind: Two New Knights

4. The Return of Hope

**Chapter 1: Unexpected Phenomenon**

**_20th Century, Pre Queen Neo-Serenity's Reign _**

_**Tokyo, Japan**_

_**Earth**_

"Did you feel that?" Haruka asked leaning against a white pillar on the edge of the veranda of the Outers' home accompanied by her two other housemates, both seated not too far away from where she stood. "It was like a shift, the energy around us seemed to shift."

The expanse of their yard spread out before them, the dark green wisps of grass waving peacefully in the breeze. The stars dazzled overhead in the dark indigo of the midnight sky. Hotaru had been tucked into bed and was sleeping soundly inside the house.

Michiru closed her blue eyes to the cool night, to the darkness around them, and to the stars shining over their heads, as she leaned back on the deck railing she was seated on; trying to feel more than sense the change around them. It was not visible energy, but an aura which only a senshi could experience. The aura was not dangerous as any of which she had felt radiating from their enemies when discovering them, but a pure energy. And strangely it felt familiar, as if it were in some odd way…a part of her.

Michiru looked over at her silent partner who was turned away watching the distance. She had to feel it too. She had to feel that familiar pull, but Haruka would never acknowledge it. It was dangerous to acknowledge such a thing as to feel affinity to a possible enemy. Deep blue eyes turned their focus on the senshi of time calmly sitting in the chair across from her. She was calm, too calm about this whole thing. Normally, Pluto was the most offensive of their team. She had to know something, she probably did. Whatever this was, it was not a direct threat to them, only aware of their presence and focused intently on them.

"What do you think it is?" Haruka asked turning to her fellow guardians.

Michiru shook her head elegantly to indicate that she did not have a clue and thought it was too early in the game to formulate a guess.

"Setsuna?" Haruka asked.

"I cannot be sure, but I will say this: do not jump to defense so quickly on this. We are not even sure yet if it is something we have to fight and assuming that it is may harm our position more than help us. We must be careful of our actions this time." Setsuna said looking between both of her companions seriously, "And most importantly, we cannot assume too much. We must be on our toes, but not overly expectant. At any rate, we must be ready for everything at this point."

The other two nodded their agreement. The peaceful night sky rumbled as dark clouds blocked the light of the stars. The wind intensified and sharp lines of white light broke the clouds in syncopation with the noise. As the first drops of rain began to pour down, Setsuna stood.

"That's odd." Haruka squinted her eyes against the uprising storm. "It came out of no where."

"As will the path of the future, it seems." Setsuna replied. She then walked over to the door. She hesitated as she opened it and looked back at Haruka and Michiru who had come to stand beside her. She watched them together for a moment longer, sighed inaudibly and entered the house.

Haruka continued to stare off at the incoming rain as though it was about flood the yard and over run them and their home. A soft hand grasped hers in a gentle, but firm grip while another rested soothingly in the crook of her arm. She turned to regard her partner beside her.

"It would be a lot easier to take if we knew what we were up against." Haruka confessed.

"I know." Michiru agreed rubbing her hand along her partner's arm comfortingly. "But we have to take it in moderation, one step at a time. Though Setsuna's explanation did not sound like her normal response to any threat. Normally, she is the most offensive of all of us, perhaps she knows something and probably does."

"But what if whatever it is attacks before we know-"

Michiru squeezed her hand reassuringly and continued calmly, "What if, Haruka? We cannot predict what if's and can't afford to worry about them right now. We can only be vigilant and watchful as we always are. If we are able to do just that, we will be able to protect the princess against any attack."

Haruka sighed tiredly and nodded, it was late and she needed her sleep for the race tomorrow. "You're right. You're always right."

Michiru smiled sweetly, "Only for you, beloved."

Despite everything, Haruka was still nervous, but her soul mate's presence was enough to quell the majority of her fears. Michiru's eyes traced every contour of Haruka's face as it went through numerous expressions and finally settled on her eyes.

"We should just enjoy our time together while we still can." Michiru said as she brought up one hand to run her fingers along Haruka's jaw line. "You taught me that."

Haruka leaned forward slightly and put her hands on her partner's waist. " I love you."

Michiru smiled and leaned forward as their lips met in an adoring kiss, that deepened into one of passion and a free expression of love and devotion. Haruka moved one hand up to run along the slender curve of Michiru's neck and shoulder, caressing the smooth skin there beneath the silky blue tresses as she deepened the kiss. Michiru brought her hands up to hold Haruka's head gently, messaging her cheeks with her thumbs.

The moment stretched into eternity before them and refused to relent. It was everything and nothing in the vast expense of the world. It was a divine instant, the union of two souls in unprecedented love. It was also a disruption in the present, a defining moment unbeknownst to the two lovers. It was the turning of the tide and they were two ships of many to be caught up in its wake.

Somewhere not all too far away from the Outers' home, waves crashed and sprayed over the waterside rocks of the sea shore. The stars were peacefully glowing here, unobstructed by clouds of any form, regulating the delicate balance of dark and light in the night. The turbulent waters reflected the pristine serenity of the sky above them. The mirror, though tumultuous, hindered nothing of the beautiful image it harbored. It was a mass, a swirling, caving, rolling, smashing, conclave of all of the force s of the world. A virtual whirlpool of all that was, had been and would be. The sea, a host to all history and time.

And so it is fitting that, in this way, it would elevate itself to be fate's messenger in the lives of these few. The sea, a source of being as unpredictable as that which controls the making and order of every new day before it is born, shall take and active role in the history of those whom it created and even govern: those of Earth. To assist and guide all paths forward, not encouraging a one of them to look back and wonder, only to look to the future.

Indeed the sea, the fosterer of all existence on the planet, had one more life to give. The chaotic waters spewed and a cold, vigorously fighting figure flew from its depths to the surface. It coughed, heaved, and paddled against the current. But the waves caught and held fast, occasionally washing over the brown head and frantically coughing mouth. Finally, near enough to the shore to relent, the waves sped forth in a mad dash for the sand. The silver sheen engulfed, stirred, released, and retreated; leaving behind it the prone figure exhaling and inhaling gradually as if captive to the dregs of an unruly slumber.

But what recedes often returns either in memory or in form, and the cold waves flooded around the body cast ashore, soaking the dark clothes in icy breath and bathing one pale upturned cheek, bathing all in silver under the moon's radiance. The open mouth sputtered at the sudden intrusion of the salty liquid and the sore body groaned loudly at the sudden bath. Frigid skin, almost blue in its tint, shivered for warmth. Eyelids cracked open, and two cerulean orbs groggily gauged their surroundings. The tired head lifted up, off of the sand to look about. Ebony hair, reaching only to the ears, was plastered along with the moist sand across one cheek and up the length of the neck. The somnolent form rolled over onto its back, with limbs spread out limply across the sand.

_Where was she?_ Blue eyes searched the sky for the moon. There it was! The great white orb, lustrous and full in its form. Her head cocked to one side in puzzlement as both eyebrows slanted in confusion. Here was the moon…and it was whole. _Did it work?_ She pushed herself upon her elbows with a pitiful groan, and one even more fatigued than weathered as she stood, stretching every abused muscle in her back slowly.

Entarais, the name of the girl, then yawned as casually as if she had only just fallen out of bed. _The trip was not that bad really._

"Well, fancy this. At least, for once, I am greeting the sand instead of the Huns." Entarais stated with a relieved sigh. "It has been much more forgiving."

In truth, she had been expecting to fall into another keep or land onto the steps of some hostile tribal territory as it had happened the last time.

Entarais looked down at her watch, clicked a few buttons, and the analogue clock, its orderly numerals so pristine on the surface; disappeared and a new face emerged. The flat surface of green circles and roving lines within the digital interface began beeping at her, indicating where it was she had landing and how far she had to go to reach the city. Resolute that she knew where she was, Entarais pushed a button and the analogue clock reappeared. Then without pausing, she began climbing the hill that lead to the upper road. If she was to make it to the city before dawn broke, she would have a lot of ground to cover. Landing point: the sea, Destination: Tokyo.

**Author's Note: **This is the beginning of the future series. It, much like my Silver Millennium piece _Years of Silver Light_ , centers in the beginning on Haruka and Michiru and will then come to branch out over the lives of the other senshi. Tell me how you like it and leave a review for me!


	2. The Revelation

**Chapter 2: The Revelation**

The little girl tossed and turned, her feet and legs becoming uncomfortably tangled in her sheets. Her dark brow was covered in a heavy gleam of sweat and her skin shimmered with the dull light of the moon outside of her window. It was cool and her forehead was steadily growing warmer and warmer as her body caused her to throw off all of the blankets in her dreamlike state. She wanted to wake, somewhere in her subconscious mind, her soul raced towards a light she could not see. Her heart thumped rhythmically against the walls of her chest, also seeking a way out. Hotaru tousled around again, another set of disturbing images arising in her mind's eye causing her to whimper pitifully.

_A jagged bolt of lightening split the blood red sky. There were thick black clouds everywhere, but no sign of rain, no rumble of thunder. Then the sky faded and all that was left was an unfathomable abyss where her feet could not touch bottom. Hotaru was free falling, plummeting as her frightened screams disappeared into the frigid obscurity of the void. The adrenaline was racing in her veins and the fear in the pit of her stomach was growing with each passing moment as her chest constricted from lack of oxygen. What was this darkness? Where was the light? She closed her eyes against the tears and prayed silently in her head for her Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama to show up and save her, but no one was coming. _

_The liquid darkness around her suddenly took on form and her back slammed painfully against the new lines as they became rigid. Stars exploded behind the lids of her eyes as the agony sprang out from the base of her spine and her lungs momentarily lost the ability to breathe. She fell limply back to the ground, her head lulling to one side. The darkness dissipated and left a starry night sky forlorn of clouds or warmth. Rain fell from above in heavy thirsty drops to the ground Hotaru could not see, only feel beneath her injured form. She could feel energy, a strong foreign energy which was somehow familiar pulsating at the base of her stomach, though she could not discern where she had felt it before or how she knew that it posed no threat to her. It was visible to her, not just as a feeling, but almost in the form of a vivid color. It was dark, rich, a shady gold shining against the dim palate of her eye lids. Where was it coming from? She wondered, and how was it that she could feel a power so pure, so undaunted and unbridled as this one was without feeling fear too?_

_A bolt of lightening slashing across the sky, no cloudy origin in sight, caught her gaze as she strained to watch it. The point set down near a rocky precipice and backlit the shady figure standing a few meters before it. The figure was tall, solidly built, and blonde and for a moment Hotaru thought it might be Haruka papa come to save her. She began running towards the enigmatic figure as fast as her legs would carry her, but the dark body seemed to be disintegrating into the violent storm of the night._

"_Haruka-papa! Haruka-papa!" Hotaru began shouting desperate not to be left alone there. "Please, don't leave me!"_

_The standing figure vanished and as she came closer she could see that it had not disintegrated, but was instead laying prostrate on the ground. She also noticed that the mysterious person was injured and bleeding badly, but she hesitated because it was not her Haruka-papa, but a girl of about the same age who looked very similar to her. Hotaru's jaw dropped as she knelt beside the battered form. The little girl was stunned at how strong a resemblance the prostrate form held to Haruka. Short, more militaristically styled, blonde locks graced the bleeding head; strewn, and dirty. The closed eyes were the same almond shape only less pronounced while the strong jaw line held the further hint of a hard life spent fighting. The parched lips were parted peacefully and Hotaru considered for a moment how much the unconscious fighter looked like Haruka-papa had the day before taking an afternoon nap on the sofa. _

_There were some qualities though that the fallen soldier possessed which were not her papa's. The strong profile, had it been seen under different circumstances, had hints of feminine beauty in addition to its roguish handsomeness. The skin was light, almost the exact shade as Michiru-mama's, but marred across the check and above the eyebrows by fading scars which stood out intensely as another bolt of lightening lit up the sleeping face. And the nose, which was somewhat crooked in the middle from being broken multiple times, gave the impression that it once held a softness reminiscent of the easy life of early childhood. The soldier was dressed head to toe in a black military tunic and trousers, ebony leather boots completing the ensemble to austere perfection. Though one more bolt of lightening alerted Hotaru that the black on the warrior's chest was wet with something. What could it be? She wondered, there was no water around them. _

_Carefully, her nerves swarming in her belly, Hotaru reached out and tentatively touched the injured soldier's chest. The woolen material was slit across the center and through the opening the entire garment had been soaked with a sticky liquid which, had it at any time been warm, was now as cold and slippery to the touch as lake ice. She pulled her hand back and in the stiff light of another bolt of lightening it shone coated with a bright crimson. Blood, it was all blood! Hotaru shrank away in horror. She curled up against the safety of a large boulder at her back, trying desperately to wipe the substance from her hands on the rocks, but all she succeeded in doing in her frightful haste was to cause a shallow cut to form at the center of one hand. She sat back, her terror subsiding for a moment and the tears she had been warding off began to fall as she watched her own blood mingle with the smeared portrait of the fallen soldier's. _

_She had to calm down. Her heart was beating in her throat. Where was she? How had she gotten there? It had to be another world or another dimension for it all felt so real to her. Her senses were aflame with the reality of this place, how could it all just be a deceptive dream? She started as thunder suddenly broke the silence clouding the atmosphere. She had to get her wits about her. Where ever she was, she wasn't to get out it by just wishing it away and cowering behind a rock. _

_Across from her the defeated form groaned in agony as if waking and then became silent again. How long had the soldier been laying there? Had no one come to her? What if she had been out there for hours? What if her family was worried because they could not find her? Putting her own fear aside, Hotaru slide down closer, cautiously watching as the somber chest rose to meet a shallow breath and then fell again. Hotaru had noticed when her hand had first touched the chest that this particular warrior, though she was dressed as a man and could closely pass for one, was a woman. The unknown warrior groaned again and this time her eye brows knitted together as another wave of intense pain crashed through her. One of the long, strong legs twitched and the fingers of one hand flexed, but the woman made no other movement._

"_Come on." Hotaru thought not knowing at first that she was repeating it aloud for the figure to hear. "Wake up."_

_Once the whisper passed her lips, Hotaru reached up and clasped a hand over her mouth to prevent any more unrestricted thoughts to slip passed her, but it was too late. The woman had heard her. Another loud groan and the closed eyes screwed shut with the effort to open. The muscles in the limp body began to tighten and Hotaru suddenly felt a breeze lifting out of the stillness. With a growl of effort, closed eyes suddenly opened to reveal pained pools of blue-green. The focused on he filled with such intense hatred that Hotaru moved back a ways and drew away as fear of the moment gripped her, but the eyes followed her. _

_After a few seconds the absolute hatred seeped out of their forefront and the expression on the angular face became bewildered._

"_Who in hell-" The woman tried to speak, but a choked fit of coughing took her and she leaned her head back against the rocks as her chest rose and she pushed herself up on her elbows to take the tight strain off of her heaving lungs. When it subsided she fell back limply and settled evenly back on Horatu. "What is your name, girl?"_

"_Hotaru." She replied, already regretting it. The girl had been taught by her parents never to talk to strangers and she was sure that this counted as an instance of breaking that rule._

"_Hotaru." The deep voice repeated it as if tasting the flavor on her tongue before coughing again. "Come here."_

"_My parents don't let me talk to strangers." She said._

_The stranger's voice contorted into a bitter grimace before another fit of coughing took her. When she came under her own power again, the woman's voice was rough and commanding. "Your parents aren't here now are they? Get over here."_

_Hotaru fearfully complied. _

_The woman did not seem like the type to say please of thank you for something or excel in any social setting, she guessed. The warrior woman was powerful, used to being in complete control over ever aspect of anything, and ill-tempered to name a few obvious character traits. As Hotaru settled back on her haunches beside the woman, she could see that the warrior in the woman would not allow her to remain still. In the short time Horaru had moved away, she had stretched her wounded body out along the rocks, one powerful uniformed arm reaching out for some object the child could barely see out over the slope. The wound in the woman's chest streamed with a new ration of red goo at the effort and Hotaru gasped. Suddenly, Hotaru leaned forward and grasped the stunned warrior's shoulders, pinning them against the stones._

"_What are you doing?!" The harsh tone barked back at her. _

_Hotaru ignored the bitter sting of the voice. "You can't strain yourself like that, you'll kill yourself!"_

"_I am warning you, girl." The tone became lower, more threatening. "Let go of my shoulders now."_

_Hotaru nodded and relinquished her grip, scooting back. The warrior woman turned her attention at hand back to the hidden object. Her face became solemn in earnest concentration and her body took on a rigid posture of the regale, all those noble. It then became apparent to the child that though the woman was badly wounded enough that she was sure she would not make it alive to a hospital even if someone did come now, it was not so much her body which would not quit, it was a spirit. Her stubborn soul endeared and indentured forever to the service of her wounded pride. All around them, the atmosphere was changing. The wind was picking up and the mists were swirling high above the rocky ground. There was an aura of power raising up around the woman. Even mortally wounded, she was a force to be reckoned with. _

_The woman raised her arm off of the ground. As if drawing energy from nowhere, her body began to glow an almost indistinguishable display of inner power. The stones across from them began to shift and move from their places and the hilt of an ornate two-handed longsword became visible. It shook slightly and then as if by magic, was drawn towards them. It was caught in the woman's outstretched arm, weapon and owner reunited at last. The woman let out a groan and the air became still again. The wind died down and the golden aura disappeared as she collapsed against the stone, her injuries bleeding anew and her body broken with exhaustion. _

_Hotaru ran forward and began shaking her shoulders. "Wake up! No, please, wake up!"_

_There were footsteps she could hear somewhere above her in the distance of the slope and ledges overshadowing them. The darkness was coming back and everything was fading into obscurity again. Hotaru tried to fight it, but the forces controlling this insane world were stronger and she was thrown back down into the unforgiving void, screaming. Then again she felt herself being stopped, but this time there was no pain. Images flashed at the back of her eyes. Old images of figures long gone whose time would come to pass again. She saw a girl who looked almost exactly like Michiru-mama, but she was younger and next to her was a boy about Hotaru's age with blonde hair and eyes of pure teal. There were images of faraway places . The palace on the moon, the castle on Neptune and the isolated fields of Uranus along with a long wall, where soldiers clad in black fought Serenity's knights clad in blue. There was another figure, one with short brown hair and eyes like Michiru-mama who rode a black horse into the middle of the fray. Behind her was a girl of about the same height, brown hair back in a pony-tail, double edged blades flashing. Behind her also on a black horse was a Marian girl, long ebony hair flowing from behind her, her bow poised and ready to fire down upon enemy heads. Where was she? Who were these strange people? _

"_Some things, they happen for a reason." A familiar voice said in her mind. "Everything happens for a reason."_

"_Setsuna-mama!" Hotaru shouted, but the voice did not return. _

_All different voices filtered in now, "The Bringer of Balance and the Guardian."_

"_Run back to your master and tell him that no citizen of the Queen's kingdom will be bullied by a tyrant. His rule is at an end."_

"_Times must change and we must usher in the change."_

Hotaru woke up screaming with her parents at her side. Michiru-mama was stroking her cheek lightly while Haruka-papa and Setsuna-mama were standing by her bed side. Haruka was at the ready, poised for action. Setsuna was concerned and the crease in her forehead and deep frown showed it, but she still kept her calm demeanor. Fevered sleeps were uncommon and normally when they did happen they were not good things. The only thing they could do was allow for her to wake up on her own and then try to comfort her.

Michiru's hand gently pushed Hotaru's wild black bangs back from her eyes.

"Are you alright, Hotaru?"

Hotaru took a deep breath and let it out. "Yes, Michiru-mama."

"Are you sure?" Haruka asked worriedly taking a step forward.

"Yes." Her eyes still held a hint of the horrors she had witnessed and the three experienced senshi could tell that she was not telling the truth.

"But you-", Haruka began only to be interrupted by her Setsuna.

"It's alright, Hotaru." Setsuna interjected gently. "You can tell us when you're ready. Would you like a glass of water or milk perhaps? After such a bad dream, you might need something to clam you down some. Which would you like?

"Water." Hotaru said snuggling into the covers again, her eyes never closing.

"In the meantime, relax and we'll bring you your water." Michiru said, her hand sliding down Hotaru's jaw line before leaving her completely.

Setsuna nodded to Haruka as she passed her and the other two senshi followed the guardian of time out into the hall. Michiru turned and shut the door behind them quietly, then they all turned to Setsuna as they reached the safety of the kitchen.

"That wasn't just a normal nightmare she had was it?" Haruka asked leaning against the counter once she was sure they were out of hearing range of their child.

"No." Setsuna answered turning on the faucet and letting the lukewarm water run over her finger until it became cold.

"But you've dreams like this before haven't you?"

"Yes."

"What should we do?" Michiru asked, the illusion of calm self-assurance all about her, as she gracefully reached to retrieve a glass from the top shelf and handed it down to Setsuna.

Setsuna stood by the counter the full glass unmoving on the table top after she had filled it. "I am not so sure. Time will tell. It always does."

**

* * *

Author's note: **Oh, the misery! Such a short chapter and none of it makes sense! Haha, that is true, but it will all make sense soon, trust me. Hope you enjoyed it! 


	3. The Stranger

**Chapter 3: The Stranger**

"And so it is when you solve for X and Y, respectively." The teacher extracted his attention from the blackboard surface he had scribbled the sample equations and focused it on the glazed over faces of his students sitting in their desks, "Is any of this making sense?"

A chorus of heads nodded in silent unison and Professor Chuang turned back to the chalkboard continuing on in his normal monotone voice the explanation of the simple algebra problem oversimplifying it to the lowest degree and boring the class further. Hotaru leaned her head on her hand. It was 1:30 and her stomach was grumbling, ready for lunch. Without thinking she let her eyelids droop until they were completely closed.

"Tomoe!" The monotone voice took on a shrill ascent as it trilled. "We're not boring you too much I hope?"

Her violet eyes shot open and she sprang up in her seat, "No sir! Not at all Chaung-sensei!"

The scrawny, ebony haired professor eyed her narrowly, but then closed his eyes and conceded in a stiff voice, " Good."

Hotaru let out a sigh of relief as she slumped back in her seat and the stuffed shirt professor turned back to his lecturing. She hadn't meant to do that, nod off, that is. True, her strange dreams had made getting any restful sleep whatsoever an impossibility for the past few days and staying awake during the day's classes drained what little energy she had on reserve. Hotaru squeezed her eyes shut. She just didn't understand why she had to have these dreams. She had never had nightmares like these before the past week. To be honest, she had to confess that her visions were on one level completely terrifying and on another entirely baffling, but she also had to admit that somehow, they felt familiar, as if it was only natural that she was a part of them now, playing witness to the violent and scary images that ran through them. But were they true? Were they happening somewhere? Would they come true someday? If then, when?

Out of the colors exploding on her closed lids in the darkness, a few disjointed shapes began to take on mushy human forms.

Oh no! It's happening again…

The remaining colors slowly materialized into the background of a burning city with three figures fighting against the backdrop…

_There had been tranquility for too long in the Sol System. Earth had grown soft in the years since Serenity had become Queen again. The senshi had fallen in love and now had families, but a time of reckoning had fallen upon their peaceful lives. It was time to introduce a little bit of Chaos back into the world and this time it would be one the senshi would not be able to defeat._

_Tokyo burned, people, civilian life had long ago become non-existent. Any and all surviving families had been put on shuttles for emergency evacuation to Earth's closest neighbors: Venus and the moon. Only one guardian remained on the dying planet fighting the new threat beneath a blood red sky. _

_Among the rubble Sailor Saturn, bloodied and bruised sat with her young companion, a boy with sandy blonde hair who could not have been older than eleven or twelve at the time, both hiding from the enemy who had decimated the city. He was just too strong! He'd killed everyone! Sailor Jupiter had been the first to fall and the first to die, her wife Mercury, had been the next to fall, faithfully at her side. Next came Mars and Venus and after they were out of the way, the monster set his sights upon the Outer senshi.  
With a minimal amount of effort, he too had disposed of both Uranus and Neptune. King Endymion was missing and the Queen and their young daughter had been skirted away against their wishes to a secret hiding place where it was guaranteed they would be safe from harm. _

_The adult Saturn took a deep labored breath to steady her hectic breathing. Smoke rose through the air all around them, dark clouds against the scarlet sky effusing from the hungry fires smoldering in the sundered buildings all around them. _

_Saturn closed her eyes in an attempt to retrieve some internal calm. Her parents were dead, her mama, her papa and their children, her younger siblings were scatter Kami knows where all over the universe. The boy across from her was her only remaining connection to her parents and the rest of the senshi who had been butchered in defense of home and family. The young boy's angular face was smeared with blood from an open gash on his forehead and out of the visage of drying streaks of red and blood peered two cerulean blue eyes deep and timeless like the sea just as his mother's used to be before the monster closed them. _

_But who was this monster? Hotaru could not see him, had never seen him in all of her frightful visions, only felt the cold solemnity of his presence and the death it wrought everywhere it appeared. _

_Then there was that evil laugh, such a cynical, devious rumbling. _

"_Come out, come out where ever you are." The deep voice broke the silence and whatever internal calm Saturn may have retrieved for herself and what's worse it was filled to the brim with a sickening sense of humor._

_Saturn's breathing evened. She wished her parents were here. They always knew what to do when times like this came up, all of the senshi did and if they didn't then they had worked it out as a group. She wouldn't let the anxiety building in her chest manifest itself at the sudden rush of memory. She had to be strong now. She was all that was left to protect the dying planet. If she didn't kill the monster now billions more would die, but at the same time, she knew she didn't have the strength anymore. She's been the last of her kind for a year now and all that time he'd been hunting her, fighting her and beating her for sport. It was just a game to him by now, her father's cursed creation. How could he! Saturn screwed her eyes shut! He may not have been himself under the control of the Death Busters, but who would even think to create a creature with that much destructive power inside him? _

_And what was worse, his cells came from them, most of the cells that gave him his power had been taken from the senshi and their predecessors the knights (transcending time and other dimensions was nothing to the Death Busters). Cells and abilities from some of the strongest people to ever live in the soul system had been incorporated into the monster's being and he had emerged from his secret lair fully formed and programmed to kill and rule with the mindsets of every ruthless conqueror ever to live._

_Saturn had wrangled that information from the creature when he had wounded her almost to the point of being immobile. She had demanded to know who he was and where he came from and why he had killed the senshi and was intent on destroying the Earth. Believing that she would not live to tell the tale due to the extent of her injuries, he had told her of Dr. Tomoe and his secret laboratory, the one in the mountains where he hid this little project of his in which he had certain lower members of his Witches Five to travel between dimensions taking cells from the knights Entarais, Regelle, Sinis, Orion, Alexandria, Lucretia, and Anna as well as from the senshi from the past and also from the monstrous creatures who used to fight on behalf of the Dark Kingdom to absorb their ruthlessness._

_However, the majority of the monster's strength was due to both additions senshi and the DNA of the legendary figures of the Silver millennium as well in part to various alien genetic configurations which were adapted from the most successful strains of Dr. Tomoe's strongest daemons. Just add human intellect and cunning with a generous helping of the past history of the Sol system and Earth had its prime destroyer._

_Saturn shut her eyes. If only they had been able to see this coming years ago they could have stopped it before half of the population of Earth had to lose their lives, her parents and loved ones included. Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune….they were all gone! Every since that monster had been unleashed he had played with and terminated every life he had come across. There was no stopping him. Saturn knew better than to think she was strong enough to put a stop to all of this, in the back of her mind she knew better, but what would be gained from running away from this? There were still lives to be saved. Most of the refugees most recently discharged from Earth had been evacuated to the Moon as a failsafe, but they needed time to be transferred to the other inner planets where the threat this monster posed was lessened somewhat by time and distance. The Earth was already in the throes of death. If and when it blew up, half of the moon would be taken out in the explosion as Serenity's power could only protect so much to where the monster had limited and those people needed, no deserved time to be saved._

_Damn it!_

_The voice came again, this time with an undertone of deadly boredom. "Saturn, I am quickly tiring of this game. Come out, come out where ever you are." Then there was a low pitched laugh. "I promise if you turn yourself in now I will make your death quick and painless, not like the others, not like Neptune and Uranus."_

_Saturn stiffened as her eyes shot open, the monster's last few words striking a nerve within her, though a little voice in the back of her consciousness warned her that that was the point. He wanted her to come out. He took amusement in playing with life and he would prolong the satisfaction of drawing out hers for as long as he could and then there was the matter of the boy. Her violet eyes focused on the blonde haired boy crouching across from her in the semi darkness that was hiding them from their fates from now. He was her parent's eldest son and the only one who remained on Earth. She didn't know where the rest of her siblings were nor what had happened to any of the children of the senshi. They had all vanished after their parents' deaths, but this boy was the last here. He had fought alongside her since the last of them had fallen and he was not about to leave her, but she could not risk his life. _

_For as young as he was, he was ten times stronger both in power level and in skill than she had been at his age. She could already see that he would be important in the years to come, if Crystal Tokyo was ever going to have a chance again. He had to survive, they all had to. _

_A sudden explosion near them bathed their hiding place in yellow-orange light and Saturn shrunk back. No! He couldn't be. Her thoughts raced and reeled as she came to the realization of what he was doing. The monster was blowing up every nook and cranny left in the city that looked as though it could offer refuge to any one still hiding in the city in an effort to flush them from their hiding place. A blast golden of energy narrowly missed their corner and hit the base of what was once a skyscraper and the entire substructure went up in a blaze of smoke and flames. _

"_Come out I say!" The deep voice was enraged now and nearby they could hear another building succumb to one of his attacks._

"_Hotaru-sama…"_

_Her time had come. She picked up her staff and moved closer to the wall. _

"_Don't move, Nicholas, stay here." She whispered to the boy who was now looking at her with an expression of horror on her face._

"_No, if you're going to go out there I want to come with you."_

_Nicholas stood up to follow her, but she pulled him back down roughly into relative safety so that his face was again shaded by the darkness. He opened his mouth to protest, but before he could, she smacked him back into the concrete behind him and he slide wordlessly to the ground as unconsciousness claimed him._

_She bent over him then, stroking his check softly where a small line of blood had collected from where his temple had connected with the wall. _

"_I'm sorry, Nicholas." Saturn whispered to him, the honest regret wavering in her voice. "but you can't die here, of that much I'm certain." She was silent as another went off in the background, then she continued, her tone wistful. "It's my turn, little brother. When you wake up, leave this dying planet and never look back. The future is elsewhere. That's all the consolation I can give you. Please know that your parents and I and the rest of the senshi will always be with all of you, guiding you, the children of the senshi to build everything up again. You're our only hope, all of you. You must survive."_

_With that Saturn stood to her full height, picking her glaive up with her and with a deep breath emerged out of her hiding place…_

"Ms. Tomoe!" The professor's stern voice shocked Hotaru out of her thoughts. "The equations flashing in your mind are far more interesting than the ones on the board I take it."

Hotaru bolted upright, eyes wide and she was quite surprised to find that the entire class including her instructor was now staring at her.

"No, sensei, I was just thinking." Hotaru argued weakly, the emotional strain in her voice evident.

Hotaru thought quickly, "Sir, may I be excused from class, I'm not feeling very well."

On any other count, the math teacher would have been suspicious, but the exhaustion displaying itself in the raccoon-like dark circles beneath the girl's eyes stayed his natural criticism.

"Very well then," He conceded, his eyes unconsciously narrowing as she stood and gathered her books. "But I expect your coursework from the afternoon to be on my desk first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes sensei."

Hotaru bowed quickly and scuttled out of the classroom as fast as her shaking legs could take her.

-----

Hotaru had run out into the school courtyard expecting to find solace from her waking nightmare, but what she had run into was nothing close to the peace she had been hoping for. What she had found instead was a complete stranger, the perfect one in fact, lingering in the school yard. She was sitting on a bench across from her in the shadow offered by one of the few trees in the courtyard. A smooth cooling breeze stirred everything around them and though Hotaru was often weary of such strangers as she had been taught to be, there was an air of peace about this one which seemed somehow familiar. Though the figure's intricate features were shaded away from view, Hotaru had an inkling that whoever it was had to be a woman, somehow, she just knew without having to see.

A small sparrow landed on the bench beside the figure, normally closer than for comfort than was capable between most modern humans and wild animals, but there was something about _her _that left nothing to be feared or desired. As Hotaru was about to take a step closer, she felt a reticent feeling of déjà vu settle over her. She had done this before, or should have.

"Who are you?" she called out softly.

The quiet question was met with a calm, but lighthearted chuckle. "You mean you cannot tell me from the rest already? Your own sister, little star you called me then, if I remember correctly, but that was a long time ago." The voice was quiet for a while, and then spoke again, just as light and welcoming. "Well, I suppose you would have no way of knowing, after all, it hasn't happened yet, now has it?"

Hotaru swallowed loudly. With every moment she was growing more and more confused with this situation. She wanted to speak, to ask more questions, but every time she opened her mouth only silence followed. Though the figure's presence was not at all threatening, not being able to see her face made Hotaru increasingly uneasy.

As if she had spoken the request out loud, the figure all of the sudden sprang out of the shadows and into the open and with her first glimpse of her face, Hotaru gasped.

* * *

_To be Continued…_


End file.
